Enric I. Canela
Andrei Hagiu, professor assistent d’Estratègia a la Harvard Business School, ha publicat avui en Working Knowledge for leaders de l’esmentada Escola un interessant article sobre el programari lliure titulat: Proprietary vs. Open Two-Sided Platforms and Social Efficiency.
El resum executiu diu:
The rising popularity of the open-source software movement has prompted many governments around the world to enact policies promoting open-source software systems at the expense of proprietary systems. Oftentimes, these policies seem to stem from a presumption (shared by some economists) that open software platforms are inherently more efficient than their proprietary counterparts. But is that so? This paper provides a simple model of two-sided platforms that clearly shows how this common intuition breaks down in two-sided markets. Key concepts include:
- Proprietary platforms may induce higher levels of product variety, user adoption, and total social welfare than open platforms.
- Proprietary platforms are sometimes more socially desirable than open platforms, which runs against the common intuition that open platforms are more efficient.
- Analysis of socially desirable benefits in two-sided markets follows a very different logic from that in one-sided markets, and may lead to counterintuitive conclusions. More in-depth research on the subtler aspects of platform governance in two-sided markets (cooperatives, associations, etc.) should inform both policymakers and business practitioners.
Serà interessant la replica dels defensors del programari lliure. Jo no en sé prou. Podeu llegir l’article sencer aquí.